The
Star Wars IP is one of the biggest in the world, far surpassing the
normal reach of the sci-fi genre. Yet when
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/42"
target="_blank">
style="font-style: italic;">Star Wars Galaxies
was unleashed on the MMO market in 2003, the game simply
didn’t live up to expectations. Many believed this was due to
a lackluster combat system, which has seen numerous revamps over the
years.

Last fall, one of the worst kept secrets in the industry was finally
made official with the announcement of a new MMO being developed in the
Star Wars universe, this time by BioWare – the same studio
that brought new life into the IP thanks to the highly popular
style="font-style: italic;">Knights of the Old
Republic RPG. In his latest
space opera disguised as a weekly sci-fi column, Reuben
“Sardu” Waters takes a look at how
BioWare’s approach to combat in
href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/1422"
target="_blank">
style="font-style: italic;">Star Wars: The Old
Republic
will differ from the previous combat mechanics found in Galaxies.

Companion AI has been
another staple of
BioWare titles over the years, so I was thankful to learn this will
also play a key role in the world of The Old Republic. These
aren’t simple pets you summon with a spell, or a cat you
found roaming around the Ghostlands, but living, breathing characters
in their own rights. Not only will your companions have an impact on
how story is presented in TOR, but if their use in previous games is
any indication, their inclusion can add a new layer of depth to combat
situations since players need to consider not only their own actions,
but those of their companions as well.

href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/63080" target="_blank">Click
here to read the latest edition of
style="font-style: italic;">MMOs, the Final Frontier!

To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our
Star Wars Galaxies
Game Page.